Agriculture and Farming

Doug Mills/The New York Times

News about Agriculture and Farming, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Researchers at Tel Aviv University publish study in journal PLoS One finding that farming may have originated 23,000 years ago; study contradicts commonly held belief that agriculture began only about 12,000 years ago, in region that now includes Iraq and parts of Turkey and Iran. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Judge Shelleyanne Chang of Sacramento Superior Court rules that California cannot fine farmers who fail to respond to water curtailment notices but that it can investigate them for illegally diverting water from rivers and streams, act that can carry hefty fines. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

The Appraisal column; entrepreneur James Savage is proponent of hemp-based building material known as hempcrete; material, derived from interior of Cannabis plant, offers natural insulation and flexibility, along with environmental benefits, but similar materials have been stigmatized in past due to their association with marijuana; Savage hopes to see hemp-based materials transform agriculture and construction throughout New York State. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Innovative movements to improve wages and working conditions for nation's two million farmworkers are starting to be successful, in spite of many obstacles; experts say much remains to be done; median wage for farm laborers is $9.17 an hour. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

Production of ethnic crops is growing business for small farmers in New Jersey, including Morris Gbolo, who emigrated from Liberia and founded World Crops Farm, 13-acre parcel in Buena Vista Township; Rutgers University agricultural program is teaching farmers like Gbolo to grow produce for niche markets; farms offering pick-your-own specialty crops, like jute leaves and bitter melon, highlighted (Metropolitan/New Jersey). MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, 720,000-acre system of islands and canals that is center of California's water system, is main battle zone in fourth year of severe drought; it faces demands from farmers and environmental groups, as debate grows stronger on apportioning limited water supply (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

FarmLogs app lets thousands of farmers around world record planting dates, watering schedules and crop yield; it also sends data about rainfall and soil health that is customized for their fields. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

California officials say majority of farmers and others holding some of state's strongest claims to water have missed deadline to confirm they stopped pumping from rivers and streams during drought; those ignoring orders face punishment of $1,000 a day and $2,500 per acre-foot. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Supreme Court rules government program that sets prices for raisins by keeping quantities of raisins off market is unconstitutional, in case Horne v Department of Agriculture; eight justices agree that program amounts to government taking of private property, but only conservative wing of court supports ruling that Marvin D and Laura Horne are owed compensation. MORE

Jun. 13, 2015

California restricts water usage for over 100 farmers and agricultural agencies possessing water rights dating as far back as 1903; state expects to impose further cuts as drought continues. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Mark Bittman Op-Ed column warns number of American farmers is likely to decline at accelerated pace as fewer young people enter profession; points out high cost of land remains chief obstacle; praises bill that would forgive student loans to young farmers, but contends only land redistribution will shore up real agriculture and combat megafarmers who have overtaken the industry. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

Farmers in California's Central Valley, desperate for new water sources amid drought, are drilling their own wells and delving deeper than ever before in search of aquifers; trend is causing alarm because it reduces underground water levels in general vicinity, essentially allowing some farmers to steal water from underneath others; dispute is playing out in murky legal territory, with new rules unlikely to take effect for years (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Colombia is struggling to facilitate farmers in move to stop growing coca and grow legal crops, step toward stabilizing part of country long ruled by rebel fighters and drug traffickers; effort, which gained urgency after government halted American campaign to kill coca crops with aerial spraying, is falling short of expectations. MORE

May. 31, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column warns that drought in California is harbinger of future water scarcity; underscores need for overhauling nation's industrial food system to address the problem. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Scientists publish proposal in journal Trends in Plant Science to use techniques in process called 'rewilding,' effort to improve plants by melding modern species with ancient genes that had been bred out of them. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Jinghong Journal; residents of Jinghong, major city in China's southwest Yunnan Province, are hoping to see government's test project for a rubber plantation become blueprint for a more sustainable and economically stable rubber industry; government's Bio-Industrial Crops Office is seeking to convert nearly 25 percent of region's rubber-growing areas to more diverse and eco-friendly model of locally entrenched industry by 2020. MORE

May. 23, 2015

California officials accept offer from Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta farmers to give up a quarter of water for summer season in exchange for state promising no further mandated reductions; state hopes deal will spur rest of agricultural industry to propose or agree to similar arrangements since unprecedented drought. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Farmers in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin river delta are offering to voluntarily cut their water use by 25 percent in exchange for no additional cutbacks in future; offer, if accepted, will mark first deal of its kind in state where farmers have long considered water supply guaranteed. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Pitman, Pa, agrarian commune built by Michael Colby and Donald Graves, who have renamed themselves Zephram de Colebi and Johannes Zizendorf, has attracted few followers, pointing to difficulty of establishing utopia based on old world ideals. MORE

May. 16, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rules governing use of drones for commercial reasons has generated large amount of excitement among farmers, many of whom use drones illegally to monitor their crop and lands. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Annual survey by research consortium Bee Informed Partnership shows increase in honeybee die-offs in United States in 2014, with beekeepers reporting loss of 42.1 percent of their colonies, up from 34.2 percent in previous year; rising deaths among bees, which are essential to agriculture, accelerates worry in agricultural world, with honeybee pollination services estimated to be worth $10 billion to $15 billion annually. MORE

May. 12, 2015

Outbreak of bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which has destroyed vineyards and citrus groves in California and Brazil, is rampant in Italy's Salento peninsula, killing centuries-old olive trees and threatening olive oil production and traditional way of life; plants imported from Costa Rica may be how bacteria came into country; European Commission, fearing spread of disease, endorses quarantine and plans policy of swift culling in case of new outbreaks. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Editorial commends California for its new rules to cut back urban water use by 25 percent but cautions steps must to taken to better monitor use of its agricultural water; points out system that tracks amounts reported by rights holders is antiquated and unreliable; holds it is imperative that state know exactly who is using how much. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Russian dairy farms are scrambling to fulfill demand for cheese following government ban on European cheese and other agricultural products as result of Ukrainian crisis; Russian economy is shrinking, but cheese and curd production rose 16 percent in first quarter over year-ago quarter. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Several livestock farms on North Fork of Long Island offer fans of local food and environmental sustainability the opportunity to buy fresh meat, poultry, eggs and even wool products straight from local land (Metropolitan/Long Island). MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

Agriculture Dept Sec Tom Vilsack prepares to unveil latest element of his agency's push to encourage private equity investments in agriculture-related businesses; will support two private investment funds called Rural Business Investment Companies in their effort to raise $125 million to buy stakes in businesses across rural America. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Op-Ed article by science researcher Mark Lynas describes his conversion from staunch opponent of genetically modified foods to supporter; holds benefits of GMO foods, like eradicating need for pesticide use, allows farmers like those in Bangladesh growing genetically modified eggplants to rise out of poverty and feed their starving families; says if not for such anti-GMO sentiments worldwide, more third-world countries could gain from genetic engineering. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Some of Supreme Court's more conservative justices criticize Agriculture Dept program designed to restrict market supply of raisins to keep prices high in hearing of case Horne v Department of Agriculture; case involves steps taken by raisin farmers Marvin D Horne and Laura Horne to sidestep program, which led to fines from department. MORE

Apr. 19, 2015

Iowa water utility Des Moines Water Works has filed suit against leaders of three counties, seeking to make farmers comply with federal cleanwater standards for nitrate runoff in bid to protect drinking water supply fed by Raccoon River; farmers call suit confrontational approach that hinders progress and discounts voluntary changes being made by farmers. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Mark Bittman Op-Ed column argues solution to California's drought must address fact that agriculture consumes inordinate share of water in state; urges Gov Jerry Brown, who has mandated cutbacks on residential water use, to tackle agricultural water use, particularly state's arcane system of granting water rights. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Prolonged drought has diminished Rio Grande to relative trickle in western Texas, highlighting environmental plight throughout West; scientists warn that drought, along with climbing temperatures and resultant evaporation, may be harbinger of what global warming could permanently introduce in region; river's fate has led to battles between farmers, environmentalists and state governments over water rights (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column addresses prolonged drought in California, arguing that issue is more economical and political than technological; contends that while state still has plenty of water, it does not have enough for every use, and tough decisions lay ahead in streamlining distribution as climate change reduces supply; suggests that there may be hard limits to state's agricultural future. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

RBH Group will raze former steel plant in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark in order to construct high-tech complex for AeroFarms; structure will contain facilities for vertical indoor vegetable cultivation that will be among most productive in nation; project will clear blight and provide new jobs, and will be underwritten to tune of some $39 million by the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Group of consumer and environmental advocates, grocers and seed growers files lawsuit against Agriculture Dept, challenging change to rules for granting approval for nonorganic substances used in organic farming. MORE

Apr. 6, 2015

Consequences of well-drilling frenzy in California are emerging as farmers continue to overuse groundwater four years into drought; scientists say excess pumping is doing permanent damage, with water levels dropping some fifty feet in past few years; remains unclear whether state will be able to adopt new practices and sustain its role as nation's largest provider of produce and other crops (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Apr. 5, 2015

Editorial challenges California's agriculture industry to become part of solution to state's devastating drought despite fact it has not been given mandatory water use reductions that are being imposed on residents; urges California's farmers, who use 80 percent of state's water supplies, to offer the kind of innovation and efficiency that can contribute substantially to alleviating impact of drought. MORE

Apr. 3, 2015

Villafranca de los Barros Journal; farmers in Villafranca de los Barros, Spain, complain that out-of-towners are swarming their fields after harvest to gather grapes, olives or garlic as way of making extra income; picking left overs is old practice, but many say it has gotten out of hand. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Soil-conservation farming, which aims to enhance soil while mimicking biology of virgin land, is catching on among farmers wary of high production costs, labor shortages, extreme weather and government regulation of agricultural pollution; methods include leaving soil untilled and using green manure. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Study in journal Science concludes that wheat has existed in Great Britain for 8,000 years, according to DNA evidence, suggesting that it made its way from Neolithic farmers of Southern Europe to Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Britain. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Chinese technology firms are addressing food safety issues in country's vast food supply chain, seeking to upgrade old systems with data collection, smartphone apps and online markets; they are attempting to earn trust of customers by helping them avoid tainted food, but food safety scandals still occur often. MORE

Feb. 28, 2015

United States Bureau of Reclamation says it will not release water for most Central Valley, California, farms for second consecutive year, as state's drought enters its fourth year. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

Growing movement of cooks, farmers and activists is working to bring agriculture back to Puerto Rico, which has for decades been reliant on imported processed foods; several restaurants and markets at forefront of island's local food scene have introduced locals to previously unknown diversity of produce. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Delta smelt population in Northern California, where tiny rare fish inhabits state's biggest river delta, has been decimated by drought and pumping of water to areas as far south as Los Angeles; as California faces a likely fourth year of drought, smelt is potent symbol in national debate over balancing needs of endangered species with those of state's residents, farmers and businesses for adequate water supplies. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Mark Bittman Op-Ed column warns that business, not government, has inordinate influence on setting goals for society, which makes addressing concerns with nation's food and agriculture systems difficult; calls on progressives and their allies to take more prominent role in determining societal priorities in order to push government to work for people instead of businesses. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Agriculture Department releases report estimating that net income for United States farmers will be $73.6 billion in 2015, down nearly 32 percent from $108 billion in 2014; would mark second consecutive year of declining income. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Farmers on Long Island's East End are once again harvesting and milling wheat, and selling it to the local community (Metropolitan/Long Island). MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

Many Nebraskan farmers are engaged in a deeply personal battle against Keystone XL Pipeline, fighting to protect heritage and land that has been passed down through several generations; vast majority of landowners along planned route have accepted terms with developer TransCanada, but roughly 12 percent that remain are planning to push back against eminent domain claims. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Farmers harvested record 14.2 billion bushels of corn in 2014, 3 percent more than 2013 crop; harvested record 3.97 billion bushels of soybeans, up 18 percent from 2013. MORE

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